


Some Form Of Familiar

by Eggy_b



Series: Letting Kids Be Kids [1]
Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst, Angst With a Happy Endings, Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, Spoilers, mono is just a bit insecure, mono is nonbinary and uses he/him, no beta we die like the one nome my friend yeeted by accident, no ships only friends, six is nonbinary and uses they/them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29985630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eggy_b/pseuds/Eggy_b
Summary: Mono knew it was his fault, so of course he was determined to fix it, even if that meant things had to change.Also known as the unambiguous fix it where i don't leave it up to your imaginations, anyways major spoilers obviously.
Relationships: Mono & Six (Little Nightmares)
Series: Letting Kids Be Kids [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2205684
Comments: 8
Kudos: 60





	Some Form Of Familiar

**Author's Note:**

> In advance, this might be typo ridden and be quite repetitive. It's very description dependant with little dialogue so just, don't be startled if it's boring. Anyways I just want these kids to be happy, so, enjoy reading I suppose.

Mono didn’t want to think it was his fault when he saw them. 

He hadn’t recognized them at first, having been too focused on remaining undetected by the creature he’d come across. The momentary panic that had flooded his veins at the sight completely blurred out any links he could have made between this thing and his friend, it wasn’t a possibility that he’d considered at all. With magenta light pouring from the walls around them, seeping from behind the silhouette of their enormous, gnarled frame, there was no way Mono could think that this was Six. 

The realization that it was seemed more horrifying than any other obstacle he’d come across.

Seeing their familiar yellow raincoat stretched over such twisted limbs was enough to make Mono nauseous. He had never seen their face entirely, but now it was even more obscured, their hair hanging over it like dark, stringy curtains from beneath their hood. Six was the furthest thing from human in that moment, and Mono wanted nothing more than to bring them back.

Their back was hunched and their arms were pressed beneath them, carrying their weight in a way that looked almost painful. Warped legs dragged behind them as they crawled around the small space trapping them. The sight was enough to break any rational thought that Mono was capable of having.

He forced himself to move, stumbling at first as he ran into the room on shaking legs. His chest felt tight, and his lungs were almost crushed by his distress, but that didn’t stop him from trying to call out to Six. The decision was idiotic at best but he had a naive hope that they weren’t gone, that they’d know him and allow him to help.

“HEY!” He yelled, louder than he ever had previously. The shout echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls and throwing itself back to his ears. It rang painfully, and Six flinched away, a distorted, terrified shriek tearing from their throat. Mono winced and fought back any fear that the cry had instilled. He couldn’t possibly be scared of them, it hurt him to think that he might have to be.

But he didn’t deserve to hurt, not right now, not when Six was right there, in more pain than he could ever imagine all because he couldn’t protect them. Once the sound faded, their head snapped towards him, their face remaining obscured. Mono couldn’t see their eyes but he was sure they were on him, and the thought that he was a target finally set in.

His legs felt stiff and his hands began to shake as he fought the urge to run. If Six wanted to kill him they would have by now. 

His mind screamed for him to rush back through the illuminated doorway behind him, cowardice craving security in the form of retreating. Despite these thoughts, however, Mono stayed. Running away would mean abandoning Six, and he knew that wouldn’t end well, it was what caused this entire mess in the first place.  
Staying wound up being more useful. Six approached him, hesitant as they dragged themself towards him. One hand reached out whilst the other cradled a large object by their knees, and Mono’s breath hitched when he realised what it was. His yellow clad friend was silent as they gestured to the item they’d been protecting, and the boy understood that Six held no malice.

He honestly wished that they did, they deserved to kill him for what he’d done, he’d practically doomed them with his weakness, but instead of lashing out in a murderous rage, they were showing him their music box. When the two had first met, they’d been playing its soft tune and holding onto it as if it had been the only object the world had to offer. It was special to them, and Mono felt undeserving of their trust, especially considering what he’d have to do.

Sure, he hadn’t exactly been the most perceptive or intelligent previously, but it was because he hadn’t needed to be. He didn’t have to look out for anything, or be hyper aware of his surroundings, because he could trust Six to do that for him whilst he tried to figure out their next escape route. However, after travelling through the pale city alone, he’d had to force himself into that mindset. Having realised that he needed to decipher the details for his survival, it hadn’t taken him long to figure out that the music box wasn’t really a music box, and that six wasn’t safe as long as it was around.

Much like every object in the deep purple room, it was a product of the tower. The reality within its walls was warped to fit an image that Six would willingly stay in, messing with their mind to convince them that this was home. Six hadn’t known much about ‘home’, but the soft notes of the music box at least made it feel like they did. Mono didn’t want to take that away from them, but it was designed to keep them here. He had no choice.

So as Six gently cradled the object, Mono only frowned, his dark eyes scanning the room for any tool he could use to break it. His silence and skittish behaviour elicited a confused hum from Six, which went ignored as the boy in front of them found what he’d been looking for. Amongst the objects floating by the walls was an awfully familiar axe, Mono knew all too well why it was here. The realisation that the demonic building had been using objects associated with him to trap Six made his lungs feel tight as he tentatively approached the weapon.

He wrapped his hands around the cold handle, huffing as it immediately fell to the floor. He struggled to drag it to the where Six was kneeling, approaching slowly as they visibly tensed at the sight of the weapon. Tightening their grip on the metal box, they shuffled away slightly. Mono’s brows were furrowed in frustration as he lifted the axe, his arms aching under its weight, but he tried his best to ignore it, overlooking how Six’s stretched hands began to shake before he brought the metal blade of it down onto the object they were so gently protecting.

Suddenly, the sound of the collision began to screech along the walls, ringing around the room and bouncing in the form of an excruciatingly loud echo. Six Shrieked and Mono winced, clutching the sides of his head. He was almost too caught up in the sound to realise that Six was no longer willing to be kind. They cried out in what sounded like fear and confusion, swiping aimlessly at Mono. It was upsetting that they weren’t angry, they were scared, and Mono had made them feel that way. 

He pretended that his ears weren’t ringing, running away as fast as he could despite how every movement made the throbbing in his head worse. Speeding through a doorway, he searched for any sort of hiding place, all too aware of the sound of hands thudding against the walls right behind him. He didn’t care if he wound up dead, he had to do this.

The pounding in his skull only continued as he slid under a table. The sound of Six scrambling along the floor grew closer and Mono fought back a yelp when he heard them enter the room, the walls shaking as they knocked a vase off the tabletop. It shattered beside him and he flinched, holding his breath and praying that he couldn’t seen through the thin cloth that hung over the furniture’s surface. He clenched his eyes shut and pulled his knees to his chest, taking a moment to breathe as they left. 

Once they sounded far away enough, Mono finally let himself unfurl from his defensive position, feeling defeated. He could hear the blood rushing past his ears,his fear coursing through his veins. His skin felt like it was on fire, and his eyes stung as angered tears began to fill them. Never before had he felt so terrible. 

When Six had first been taken, all he knew was guilt, and now that feeling had multiplied, tearing him apart from the inside as the damage he’d caused only seemed to increase. He just wanted to fix this, he wanted Six to be fixed, he wanted them back. It was selfish. So utterly selfish that he wanted to destroy their only comfort and drag them into a dangerous world a second time and for what? So they can be friends? Spend time together? Mono couldn’t help but feel disgusted at himself.

Some more rational side of his mind knew that Six wasn’t safe with the hunter, nor were they safe here, but Mono had always been more emotional. He wasn’t going to let it stop him though, so it was with difficulty that he picked himself up and set out to once again, search for Six. He peeked out from behind the tablecloth, assuring himself that the coast was clear, and then he began to travel.

Navigating the tower had been difficult, every doorway having looked the same and been blocked by some sort of memory-related puzzle he’d had to solve. The fact that the sinister structure seemed to know the in and outs of his mind was a terrifying thought, and he’d done his best not to let it get to him as he traversed its halls. He wandered aimlessly for a while, hoping that he wouldn’t get lost in the winding corridors. It took him what felt like hours, but after walking through a series of glowing pink doorways, he once again found himself facing Six. 

His eyes scanned the room, searching for the axe he’d used previously, and it didn’t take him long to spot it, laying on the floor discarded. Mono was about to run towards it, hoping to finish his job without attracting Six’s attention, but with the way sounds seemed to echo in the tower, his footsteps would inevitably distract them. As infatuated as they were with the music box, Mono couldn’t risk getting too close to them, and so he opted to get their attention another way. If he had their attention, they would undoubtedly chase him with the intent to kill. It would be fine, Mono had always been the faster out of the two anyway.

So it was then that for a second time, he fearfully called out to them, another loud ‘hey’ being thrown around the room as another pained cry left Six. Mono could hear their joints pop and click as they whipped around to face him, screeching as they scuttled over. He ran to the side as they attempted to hit him, trying his best to train his eyes on the axe despite how he was being blinded by the bright glow of the doors surrounding them.

Six thankfully hadn’t seen him move away, only seeming to grow aware of his absence once he’d reached the weapon. He panted and like the first time, struggled to lift the handle above his head before slamming it into the music box with as much force as he could possibly muster. Unexpectedly, another cry rang through the room as saturated purple light began to seep from between the cracks in the box’s metal surface.

The glow seemed to grow brighter and brighter until Mono had to shield his eyes, before he knew it, he was thrown back and landed in complete darkness. He sat up in a panic, breathing heavily as he looked around in a near-frantic state, and rather quickly, it became apparent that he was alone. He would have sighed in relief had he been able to see anything properly, but the only light in the area appeared to be an odd ring on white surrounding him.

As bizarre as it was, Mono wasn’t complaining, instead appreciating that it was a welcomed break from the harsh saturation of the purple his eyes had previously been plagued by. He hastily stood up, brushing any dust off himself before looking around once more. There wasn’t any obvious exit in sight, but he did catch a glimpse of a dull glint in the distance. It seemed to be the only thing visible in his odd surroundings, so he took his chances, running towards it in the hope of finding something useful.

It seemed that he’d been lucky, because the object he’d spotted was the same axe he’d lost grip of before, now lodged in a segment of a wall that he could recognize as being from the hunter’s house. It didn’t take him long to leap up and pull it out of the incomplete section of bricks, the weapon landing on the ground beside him as the wall disintegrated and revealed a door. 

It appeared to be the same door he’d broken down before. Many times it had been torn straight from his memories and placed right in front of him in the form of yet another obstacle, which he could only guess led to Six. He broke the bottom half of the door down, having been unable to reach the handle. 

Immediately he was once again plunged into a room doused in luminescent fuschia with his (or rather the hunter’s) axe still clasped tightly within his small hands. He’d been correct in his assumptions, for in front of him was the monster that his friend had become, too entranced by the music box to notice him. Sighing, he once again prepared to yell. He wasn’t looking forward to running across the splintered wood on his bare feet, nor did he want to hear Six’s howls of pain, but it was the only possible solution he could think of.

Gritting his teeth, he began to sprint, wincing as chips of wood lodged themselves into the soles of his feet. Yet again, he screamed

“HEY!”

He had Six’s attention and as they began to scuttle over to him, he switched directions. Weaving his way around the hooded figure, he once again reached the centre of the room before they’d even realised that he’d moved. With vision blurred by pained tears, he shakily lifted the axe above his head, the piercing sting of his injuries and the ringing in his ears completely blocking out any other senses. He was practically blinded with both fear and frustration as he threw the axe onto the box, a loud crash sounding out as the two surfaces collided.

For a second time, and what would hopefully be the last, both Six and Mono’s vision was obscured by a harsh glow as the music box seemed to simply dissipate into nothing, the walls of the tower beginning to shake as everything slowly faded into darkness. 

By then, Mono had entirely collapsed, both out of exhaustion and due to the strain he’d put on his body. His hands and feet were numb and his head was consumed with a throbbing ache that seemed to shake his entire being. A mere few feet away however, was Six, sprawled along the ground in a similar fashion, and thankfully, back to their original form. 

They were practically hyperventilating as they pushed their weight onto their elbows, trying to pick themself up to little avail. Their entire body was aching horribly, but they knew they needed to stand up, even as anxiety clawed at their motivation. Everything was covered in pure, inky, darkness, and the tower was silent aside from a rumbling occurring from within the walls.

Six wanted the music back.

However, even in their hazy state, they were aware that the box was gone, they’d left it behind at the very start of their journey with Mono, and now they were letting it go for good.

Their memory came back in flashes as the room filled with another onslaught of magenta, they remembered their panic, how they could feel that their body wasn’t their own, and how they’d attacked Mono. Oh, but Mono hadn’t been attacking them had he? No, he wouldn’t, and in that moment, wasn’t capable of it anyway, as Six spotted him laying on the cold floor of the tower almost unmoving.

“Hey!” They rasped, their voice quiet and throat sore from their pained cries. Mono didn’t respond, the only indication that he was alive being the way his body shook with each laboured breath. Six forced themself off the ground, stumbling towards the bloodied boy. “Hey, hey.” They whispered more urgently, coughing slightly as they gently placed their hands against his side. Rolling him onto his back carefully, they sighed in relief as the boy opened his eyes, sluggishly lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the light bombarding them.

He was clearly tired, worn out, and hurt, and the same went for Six, but the both of them knew that they couldn’t stay for long. The wall behind them was beginning to crumble, and the two of them forced themselves to their feet as they watched it chip away. Large sheets of cement and mortar fell away revealing a mass of flesh, filled with heaps of eyes that were all trained on them. Now knowing that the tower was yet another creature they had to escape the grasp of, they tried to run.

Six rushed through a doorway and beckoned Mono over, hoping that the boy would follow them despite his droopy state. Dazed, he eventually found his way behind them, the two of them escaping the room together and now running on a bridge over a deep, pitch black pit that they hadn’t seen before. Slowly, the bride began to crack beneath their feet, and Six ignored the ache in their bones in favour of pushing their body to run even faster. 

In their panic, they’d failed to realise that Mono had been falling behind. Gradually, the boy had been slowing in pace, growing too dizzy to run faster as blood trailed behind him, quickly being consumed by the wall of veiny, throbbing flesh that was chasing the two kids. His breathing grew laboured and eventually he collapsed, Six being completely unaware of his exhaustion. 

Mono could hear squelching as the mass of deformed, slimy skin and eyes approached. He held back a gag and could only watch as the area of the bridge in front of him began to dissolve. Six had already crossed to the other side and appeared to be making their way to a glowing white exit before they finally became aware of Mono’s absence. 

Hope sparked amongst the dread that had begun to swirl in his gut and so he placed his weight in his hands, then knees, until he was steady on his feet, the only thing fuelling him being fear and his trust in his only friend. Adrenaline was burning through his veins and he pretended it didn’t hurt as more and more urged him onwards, purely powering him with terror that he couldn’t seem to shake. His dread began to return with a vengeance however, as the gap between him and Six only grew larger.

He pleaded to any higher force that he'd make the jump, despite how genuinely impossible it seemed. He sucked in a harsh breath as he neared the edge, and leapt.

Time seemed to slow as he prayed he’d make it to freedom, and suddenly, he was falling.

His face fell with him, until he felt a small, cold hand weave its way into his. He laughed, more shocked than anything else, but still incredibly relieved. He looked around at the tower, silent and almost mesmerised as he watched the grotesque wall retreat at the edge of the darkness. Smiling widely, he looked to Six, kicking his legs as if to remind them ‘I'm here, you can pull me up, we can leave’ and he almost felt his heart stop when he saw their face.

Whilst their eyes were still obscured, he could still see their glare, and even then almost feel the cold resentment behind it. Their gaze seemed to pierce his skin and he felt his lungs grow tight as their grip on him began to loosen. As unfeeling as they looked, Mono knew that beneath their neutral expression was a full blown mental war. They were contemplating on dropping him.

Well, it was hardly a surprise, was it?

Mono looked down into the pit below them and seemed to accept his fate. He knew Six had been getting tired of him, he’d left them alone too many times. Uselessly, he’d watched as they were torn away from him, doing nothing to help. Why should they help him when he’d let them be strung up and treated like a toy? Or dragged through a screen and twisted into a monster? He wasn’t worth the effort. Maybe after the first time he could have been redeemed, after all he’d gone back for them, and he couldn’t stop what happened having been trapped.

However, the second occurrence had been entirely his fault. Six knew that Mono’s interdimensional travels were bad news, and they’d tried to stop him, and yet he didn’t obey, releasing the thin man and causing more suffering than he thought was possible. Mono had caused almost every problem in Six’s life after they’d met, he practically was a problem in that moment, dragging them down like an anchor and preventing them from their only chance of gaining freedom. 

Neither of them had any idea what was on the other side of the static filled arch, but Mono hoped it would be better for Six than he’d ever been. He’d been a bystander when they’d cried for him, and the only form of help he’d offered came in the form of destroying the only thing they held dear, and so if they thought he was a danger and chose to let him go, he’d accept it.

Mono wasn’t often correct, it seemed, because right as he’d stopped struggling, they lifted him like they would any other time during their travels. They grabbed his other hand, now no longer supporting their own weight and instead using it to pull mono over the jagged edge of the bridge. He was practically flung onto the surface beside them, coughing as he landed on his back. Both of them were trying to catch their breath, having pushed their bodies to some form of breaking point.

Mono felt his eyes sting with the familiar burn of tears, presumably out of both shock and disbelief. Six was still breathing heavily, hunched over and on their knees by his side. Hesitantly, he sat himself up, steadying his body against the floor with his palms as he sighed and ran his hands along the cold surface beneath him. He sighed, it was easy to ground himself with the sensation of cold concrete beneath his skin.

Six was quick to get to their feet once they’d realised that Mono was alright, jogging over to him to assess his state. Thye failed to notice how glazed his eyes were and instead focused on lifting him to his feet. Mono sniffled as they wrapped their hand around his, gently tugging him towards the doorway that stood before them, and they finally turned to face him. They tilted their head as if to say ‘what’s wrong?’ and Mono could only shake his head, tearing his hand from their grasp and hiding his face in his palms.

Concern immediately washed over Six’s visible features as they silently fumbled, unsure of what to do as mono quietly cried. It was disheartening to see him in such a state, stubbornly trying to force his tears back and wiping away at them until his face was raw and red. Six gently raised their hands to his, no longer worried as the tower seemed to grow still. As tenderly as they could, they took his hands away from his face and placed theirs there instead, softly rubbing circles onto his cheeks with their thumbs. Mono only stared, bewildered.

He couldn’t deny that the action was comforting, but it only seemed to make him feel more stupid. How could he cry over the possibility of Six abandoning him when they’d been so kind? They'd stayed with him mistake after mistake and yet he had the audacity to think of them as a monster? 

Mono felt so terrible, and so, so stupid.

But those feelings didn’t particularly matter in that moment. Sure, they weren’t in imminent danger, but they couldn’t trust that to last, and escape was right in front of them. Mono felt bad for getting so worked up, especially when it was costing them so much time, but Six couldn’t care less about that, instead opting to help him. They pushed his hair back and wiped any tears that remained dotting his skin before wrapping their arms around him. , buried his face in their shoulder, trying to steady his breathing so that he could tune the transmission and finally get them out of the god awful tower that had imprisoned them.

It didn’t take long for him to finally relax into their arms, the tight feeling that had been constricting his lungs ebbing away as Six hushed him, softly whispering to him that he was okay. He’d just felt so tired, they were only kids, they shouldn’t be so tired. Neither of them could be sure that what was on the other side of the white arch would be good, but they had hope, or at the very least, childish naivety. So, Mono pulled away from Six, smiling softly in order to reassure them that he was well as he muttered a small ‘thank you’ and took their hand. It was time to get down to business.

The boy breathed in shakily and raised his free hand to the doorway, revelling in the way his fingertips tingled with static. Even as pain blossomed in his skull and his skin burned with energy, he felt powerful. He forced his mind not to dwell on his fear and as he felt the signals line up, he thought of a better place. A better place was all he wanted. 

Somewhere that was truly safe, truly home, where he and Six could finally be carefree, he didn’t think they’d ever be and it was something he desired more than anything. He knew that they deserved to feel happy, they deserved to be kids, they deserved to live in a world where danger wasn’t only present, but waiting for them. He just wanted to be happy, and deep down he knew that Six wanted that too.

He’d seen the way they’d tried desperately to rest between locations, and how their optimism had dwindled more and more every day. They’d both been wasting away in this world, time seeming to blur into a mess of exhaustion and fear as nothing changed no matter how many foes they defeated.

So it was then that pristine light blinded them, and in a flash they were surrounded by people walking and talking, cars driving by, birds chirping, the sun shining, everything bustling with something that they’d never seen before in their lives.

It was time for something new.

**Author's Note:**

> Speedran the ending tbh. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed, thanks for reading :)) hopefully there's more to come.


End file.
